QA Lead (Fixed Term Contract)

Magnopus; St Albans; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative technology company seeks a Lead QA Analyst to spearhead quality assurance for diverse projects. In this pivotal role, you'll collaborate closely with production and engineering teams, ensuring the highest standards of quality throughout development. This is a 12-month contract with the potential for a permanent position, allowing you to make a significant impact in a dynamic and creative environment. If you're passionate about quality assurance and eager to lead a talented team, this opportunity is perfect for you!

Benefits

Generous health care

Ongoing education opportunities

Mentorship programs

Flexible working hours

Creative workplace environment

Qualifications

• Proven experience testing entertainment or GaaS software.
• Hands-on experience with Jira and test management tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage QA activities for projects across all platforms.
• Oversee preparation of test plans and hands-on testing.

Skills

Testing entertainment software

Jira

Test Management Systems

Defect tracking

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Game testing

Performance testing

Tools

Atlassian tools

Unity

Unreal Engine

Job description

We’re on the lookout for an experienced Lead QA Analyst to take the reins on QA delivery across across a mix of client projects and internal product development. You’ll be hands-on with planning and execution, working closely with our QA Manager, Production, and Engineering to uphold quality throughout development - all within a highly collaborative, creative, and technically ambitious environment.

This is a 12-month contract role, with some flexibility around remote working - though we’re ideally looking for someone who can work on-site at our St Albans studio. There may also be potential for conversion to a permanent role down the line, depending on future growth and team needs.

Contract dates: c. 16 June 2025 - c. 16 June 2026

Responsibilities

• Plans, strategises, and manages the execution of QA activities for assigned projects across all current and future platforms.
• Owns all QA activities for their assigned projects, including overseeing the preparation of Feature/Area Test Plans, User stories, Test Cases, and hands-on testing.
• Directs testing efforts, test case construction, and test suite runs of the QA team, while also participating in those activities when needed.
• Works closely with Production, other QA Leadership, Testers, Engineers, and other internal groups to identify and communicate risks, plan testing strategies, define per-project quality bars, set testing priorities, and ensure deliverables meet the Magnopus quality standard.
• Reports progress throughout the testing lifecycle and provides regular, actionable feedback to stakeholders including Production and Development teams.
• Manages day-to-day activities of QA Analysts (internal and external) and ensures that QA output meets department, project, and company standards.
• Delegates tasks effectively, supporting the team’s progress and ensuring the best use of test hours within the project budget.
• Defines, documents, and communicates goals, values, and processes to the project team.
• Identifies risk areas during production and supports test planning early in the development cycle.
• Creates, maintains, and executes detailed test plans; regresses fixed defects and validates bug resolutions.
• Provides overall quality feedback, user improvement suggestions, and end-of-project reporting.
• Proactively ensures adherence to QA policies and processes, helping to maintain state-of-the-art QA practices across the department.
• Participates in evaluating and developing tools and systems to support efficient QA operations.
• Facilitates communication and collaboration between the QA department and other disciplines.
• Participates in recruiting and onboarding QA Testers for the project; supports coaching and mentoring on best practices.
• Fosters a learning and continuous improvement culture within the QA team and the wider studio.

Requirements

• Proven experience testing entertainment or Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) software.
• Hands-on experience with Jira and Test Management Systems, or equivalent bug tracking and test case management tools.
• Familiarity with a range of testing approaches including user path, exploratory, and destructive testing.
• Skilled in defect tracking, reporting, and lifecycle management.
• Solid experience with Atlassian tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly document testing procedures and results.
• Methodical, analytical, and detail-oriented.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
• Demonstrable experience leading QA efforts on cross-disciplinary development teams.
• Experience creating test plans, designing and executing tests, and analysing key QA metrics (e.g., KPIs) over the course of a project.
• Working knowledge of development tools and game engines (e.g., Unity or Unreal Engine).
• Experience planning and executing performance and stress testing.
• Skilled in documenting processes for users and maintainers.
• Experience with games testing, preferably with TestKits for major platforms (PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox).

Nice to haves

• Familiarity with QA approaches in both product-focused and R&D-style development.
• Prior involvement in QA tool or pipeline development is a plus.

£50,000 - £60,000 a year

Our interview process

We believe in a transparent and straightforward interview process. Here's what you can expect when applying for this role:

Application review

Our team will carefully review your application to assess alignment with the role.

Recruiter screening call (30 minutes)

A general conversation to learn more about you, share insights about the company and role, and cover the basics.

Interview (60 minutes)

A single in-depth video interview with our QA Director and QA Manager. This session will cover your technical expertise, leadership experience, problem-solving skills, and how your values align with those of Magnopus.

Offer

If successful, we’ll extend an offer and guide you through the next steps.

About us

Magnopus is an experience focused technology company founded by a team of Oscar-winning artists, designers, and engineers from games, films, and other unusual places. We’re passionate about creating rich experiences that unite the physical and digital worlds.

Because we’re building the future, we endeavour to create a diverse, creative workplace where people from many perspectives collaborate across disciplines to create amazing things together. We invest in our employee's progression with ongoing education and mentorship opportunities, and support their happiness and productivity through generous health care, time off, and other benefits.

We try to foster a safe environment where we can take risks, and learn from our failures. While we value individual talents, we favour collaboration more. We believe that the leadership of the company works for the employees, not the other way around. We feel strongly that our employees guide who we are as a company and the work we create, so we look for characteristics of curiosity, empathy, respect, honesty, and courage in every candidate.

Though we’ve delivered a lot of crazy stuff, here are a few you can check out at home:

Metallica

Mission: ISS

Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab

Alo Moves XR

Fallout

Please be aware that, if you are selected for a position, you will be required to provide proof of your right to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. This may involve providing original documents such as a passport or residence permit. Failure to provide the necessary documentation may affect your employment eligibility.